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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — to visit
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pop — soda
  14. swing — music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com